Beer is one of the oldest alcoholic beverages in the world, although beer has only been introduced to the mainland for more than 100 years, but this does not prevent the beer continent from becoming a major producer and sales of beer.
Beer also has a lot of classifications according to the different raw materials, fermentation processes and brewing methods, but in the past few years there has been a boom in craft beer, that is, people like to look at the ingredient list when buying beer, everything that is added with rice, hop extract and beer syrup will be considered industrial beer, and there is no messy addition, there is only yeast, hops and malt in the ingredient list, and the upper ale fermentation method, and in order to add to the flavor of the beer, the beer mixed with some natural spices is called craft beer.
Craft beer was all the rage in the past few years, when many people drank and wanted craft beer by name, and supermarkets and restaurants were likely to lose some customers if they didn't sell craft beer. Some joint venture beer brands and well-known domestic beer companies have also launched many varieties of craft beer.
However, since this year, it seems that craft beer has fallen out of the limelight. Craft beers in many small supermarkets have either been taken off the shelves or have been left in the corners. In restaurants, except for some high-end restaurants, it is difficult to find craft beer in ordinary food and beverage outlets.
Why isn't the once-smash hit craft beer so popular now? The owner of the restaurant said: 4 reasons are very realistic.
The first: the price
Craft beer is no longer as popular as it used to be, and much of that is due to price. Normally, the price of ordinary beer we buy on a daily basis is roughly between 2 yuan and 5 yuan, and the price of pure draft beer with slightly better quality is in the range of 5 yuan to 10 yuan. However, the average craft beer price is generally above 10 yuan.
Imagine a group of friends gathering in the evening for a delicious late-night snack and a beer. Each person has as little as two or three bottles, and as many as four or five bottles or more. Based on this amount of alcohol, if you choose regular beer, the consumption amount is relatively low; But if you choose craft beer, the cost will increase dramatically. As a result, the difference between spending on drinks alone at the end of a meal will be as much as four or five times. Therefore, when consuming, everyone will inevitably weigh and consider the price.
In addition, the current decline in craft beer popularity is also closely related to the current environment of declining economic income. I believe that this year, many friends will frequently hear such a sentence when they are chatting in their daily lives: "This year's money is really hard to earn!" "Indeed, in the current economic situation, many large companies and factories have taken measures to reduce costs; In the field of manufacturing, all kinds of manual labor are gradually replaced by advanced robots, resulting in the loss of a large number of manual jobs. Not only that, but even after work, if you want to increase some extra income by running Didi, you are facing huge competitive pressure. The continuous development of projects such as the driverless "Carrot Run" has squeezed the market space of traditional manual driving, further narrowing the way for people to obtain additional income.
In such an economic background, consumers' spending ability and willingness to consume are inevitably affected, and people will naturally be more cautious and restrained when buying craft beer with high prices.
The second point: taste
There are significant differences in the taste and flavor of craft beer compared to ordinary industrial beer. When you drink craft beer, the taste will be more fragrant and mellow. At the same time, however, craft beer is usually stronger, especially when it shows more momentum.
After drinking craft beer, many of my friends reported that they often had a slight headache the next day. Especially for those who have been accustomed to drinking lighter beers, their bodies tend to react when they suddenly try this stronger, full-flavour craft beer.
Especially in summer, the role of beer on the table is mainly as a cool and thirst-quenching drink. Ordinary beer has a refreshing taste, which can quickly bring people a refreshing feeling and quench their thirst. However, craft beer tends to have a heavier bitter taste and a relatively strong flavor due to its unique brewing process and recipe. As a result, craft beer doesn't perform well compared to regular beer when it comes to quenching thirst.
For this phenomenon, although many professionals complain, they think that those consumers who are not accustomed to craft beer and prefer ordinary beer are "wild boars can't eat fine chaff", which means that consumers do not have enough tasting ability and taste to appreciate the unique flavor and quality of craft beer. However, consumption habits are long-term and deep-rooted, and for most consumers, it is difficult to change their long-established drinking habits and taste preferences in a short period of time. Even though craft beer is unique in quality and flavor, it's not easy to change consumer habits once they've formed.
The third point: the speed of distribution
The production process of craft beer is relatively complex and demanding. Generally speaking, craft beer needs to have independent and professional brewing equipment to ensure the accuracy and stability of the brewing process. Craft beer is very particular about the selection of raw materials, and it is necessary to use high-quality malt, high-quality hops and active yeast to lay the foundation for the quality of the beer.
Not only that, craft beer also uses traditional brewing techniques, and many of the key steps are inseparable from manual and delicate operations. From the grinding, saccharification, fermentation and maturation of the malt, every step is the result of the winemaker's hard work and skill. In addition, craft beer takes almost a month to brew, which makes its production relatively slow.
The slow production speed directly affects the efficiency and speed of distribution. In the case of strong market demand, many restaurants and supermarkets often face the embarrassing situation of craft beer being out of stock, and the supply of goods cannot keep up with the demand in time, which undoubtedly has a negative impact on the business of store owners. In order to avoid the impact of a shortage of beer, the owners gradually reduced the amount of craft beer they stocked.
At the same time, the price of craft beer is generally high due to the high production cost of craft beer, coupled with the added value brought by its unique quality and process. The higher price has suppressed consumers' desire to buy to a certain extent, resulting in a small amount of goods. When faced with higher-priced craft beers, consumers may be more inclined to choose regular beers that are relatively affordable.
The fourth point: the issue of profits
As we've just discussed, this craft beer has a slightly higher alcohol content than regular beers. It is precisely because of this characteristic that when drinking craft beer, people tend to feel that it is stronger, and after drinking, the effect of stamina is also stronger.
In this way, it reflects a direct problem that consumers will drink less because craft beer is stronger. For example, when drinking a regular beer, consumers may be able to drink about 10 bottles; However, when drinking craft beer, it is possible to start feeling dizzy after just 3 bottles. In terms of consumption amount, 3 bottles of craft beer can be sold for 45 yuan at a price of 15 yuan per bottle; And 10 bottles of ordinary beer, if the price is 6 yuan per bottle, can be sold for a total of 60 yuan.
For merchants, the fundamental goal of their operation is to pursue the maximization of profits. From this point of view, they naturally hope that the more goods they can sell, the better, because the more goods they sell, the higher the profit they can earn. Whereas, craft beer is limited in consumption by consumers due to the above reasons and cannot drink too much. In such a situation, the profit from the sale of craft beer will naturally decline.
Because of this, for many restaurants, bars, KTVs and other business establishments, considering the limited consumption of craft beer and the resulting decline in profits, they are often reluctant to promote craft beer when choosing to sell products. This has become an important consideration for many of these merchants in the process of product selection and business strategy.
Craft beer is not facing the general consumer from the day it was born, it was all the rage at the beginning, mainly because it captured people's psychology of trying it first, and after the freshness passed, it was normal for it not to be popular, what do you think?